Ambrose
by rubyk157
Summary: Arthur and his knights wake up in 2015. Everything is different. Merlin has lived for hundreds of years and can't remember Arthur. A great peril faces the world in which only Arthur and his knights with the help of Merlin can defeat. But only if they can overcome their past to save the world one last time. All rights to those who own them.
1. Chapter 1 - Stars in the Sky

Stars in the Sky - Chapter One

The October night was cold and the sky was dark as Merlin glanced at the stars above. Shining out like diamonds the lights twinkled as he followed the familiar lines of the constellations. After everything that had happened, after everything that had changed, the night's sky was always the same. As a boy his mother had told him that the stars were signs that those who they loved were watching over them, keeping them safe. Gaius had taught him the names of the stars and their meanings but now as he sat there on a rickety bench, in a small garden on the 31st of October 2015, he couldn't help but feel as if it was all a bit pointless.

Here he sat with no aim or destiny in his life, all he was expected to do was wait until the time was right. But wait for what? He had been roaming the earth for many hundreds of years, educating himself on the latest knowledge to keep his mind occupied while he waited. Never making friends as he could never stay in one place for too long, not aging seemed to cause this effect. Inspecting the sky Merlin smiled sadly as he located the Sea Goat, Andromeda and the Phoenix, he could vaguely remember a time when he was surrounded by a forest and not a suburb of student housing. However his musings were cut short when the back door banged open and Sofia stuck her head out of the busy house.

"There you are!" she said to him.

"I''ve been looking everywhere for you, come inside and mingle" she chirped. Merlin glanced away from the sky to the girl, who was currently one of his housemates. He shook his head in reply hoping to be left alone but of course his request was ignored. Sofia stepped out of the house and instantly began to feel the cold wind bite.

"Ruddy hell what are you doing out here, it's flipping freezing" she chattered as she plopped herself down onto the bench next to him. She had placed herself very close to him and he coughed awkwardly as he tried to discreetly move away from the girl. Smirking at his nervousness she looked up into his face.

"I don't understand you" Sofia blurted out causing her face to go bright red. Merlin looked politely puzzled but returned his glaze to the sky above.

"You should go back to your Halloween party" he said after a moment as he lent back against the bench.

"What if I don't want t-" Sofia started to say before another voice interrupted her as Dion's lanky frame lent out of the back door and yelled "Sofia come quick its Jamey".

Sofia jerked away from Merlin and got to her feet while asking "what's he done now?"

"Who?" was Dion's reply, who was distracted as he looked from Merlin to Sofia, eyebrows drawn together in a frown.

"Jamey of course" Sofia huffed as she made her way into the house, shoving Dion back into the kitchen. Sofia turned to see if Merlin was following, but he wasn't. Why should he be she thought to herself? They hardly knew each other after all.

She went to close the back door behind her as she re-entered the house but when she got to the handle, she noticed that the back garden was unusually still and Merlin was not in sight, when he had only been there a second before. The small garden was completely and utterly empty.


	2. Chapter 2 - When A King Awoke

Chapter Two – When a King awoke

His eyes hurt that was the only way he could describe it. The white light felt like it was burning him, he didn't like it. He wanted it to stop. He moved his eyelids an inch and he felt the pain slightly lessen. So he tested the waters again, by slowly forcing his eyelids to creep open.

A blurry, darkly lit room greeted his eyes, he did not recognise this place. The walls seemed almost cave like in appearance with only a streak of light piecing through a crack in the ceiling. It was like nowhere on earth that he had ever been too before.

Moving slowly he sat up from where he lay on the floor, his armour clattering as he did.

"You are finally awake, are you" a deep voice stated from the shadows which caused Arthur to scramble to his feet.

His hair skimmed his face as he threw his head around as he looked for the source of the noise. He could see no one as he revolved around on the spot. His hand moved towards where his sword should be but all he felt was empty space. It was not there, none of his weapons were, he felt naked, vulnerable without them. Ever since he was a small child he had relied on a sword too keep himself and those he protected safe.

"Who's there?" Arthur called, "Show yourself!"

He waited and he listened but he heard nothing but the faint echo from his own shout.

"I know you're there" he grumbled determinedly.

Suddenly out of the darkness came a deep low throaty chuckle. Flinging his head back his eyes searched the room. His uncertain glaze switched to high above him as he once more went to reach for his for his sword. The deep chuckling got slightly louder and wheezier.

Small handfuls of rocks cascaded down the cave's walls causing him to squint into the darkness. A huge shape in the shadows moved slightly into the light. Arthur's eyes widened as he took in the beast's giant scales and wings, his hand went once again to the place where his sword should be. He couldn't help but feel annoyed as if there was one moment in his life when he knew he really needed a sword it was now.

Arthur thought a lesser man on finding himself with what was probably a very dangerous dragon would have tried to run away but not Arthur, he was a Pendragon he was not brought up to cower in front of danger. This thought gave Arthur the resolve he needed to face the creature.

Arthur's answering glare caused the dragon's chuckle to slowly die away only to be replaced with an almost bemused expression, which Arthur thought was slightly disturbing to see on a creature that was clearly not human.

"Are you ready, Arthur?" the dragon asked slowly.

"Ready for what?"

"Why your destiny, of course" came the reply. And with those words came a blinding flash of light. When the light receded Arthur found himself on the side of a road with grass beneath his feet. Bright stars hung in the cold night's sky above and darkened buildings surrounded him.

A hand grasped his shoulder and he turned around to see Guinevere. Behind her stood his knights followed by Gaius. They all looked confused but also relieved to be with friends again. And that's when the questions started. "Arthur what happened?" "Where are we?" "I thought I died?" "I thought you died?"

"Enough" Arthur bellowed which created a hush amongst the group. He tried not to smile as he observed his family looking back at him anxious for his verdict. Shaking his head, he could not believe what he was seeing, he could not believe he was breathing. This was all too much, too fast, he didn't understand.

Looking around at the familiar faces that's when he noticed that one was missing among his number and that one was added. Arthur frowned at the sight of Lancelot but before he could say or do anything his attention was diverted. As on the far side of the road he caught sight of a very familiar figure who was staring back at him with a stunned look on his face. Arthur couldn't help but smile, he would recognise that fool of a servant anywhere.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Red Sky Incident

Chapter Three - The Red Sky Incident

Merlin was vaguely aware of Sofia moving away from the bench into the house but his attention was mainly transfixed on something else. He stood up without realising and craned his neck to look at the sky. The stars were glowing red. Their bright lights had taken on a eerie red colour, it was unnatural. And Merlin could think of only one thing that could cause the stars to do that and that was magic.

Hurtling through the garden gate Merlin found himself on the road outside the house. Shaking his head he continued to stare up at the sky in confusion. But suddenly within a blink of an eye the stars had returned to normal and were no longer red. Merlin didn't and couldn't understand it.

Magic had to have caused this strange occurrence but he knew he was the only person left on this earth who had any knowledge of sorcery. First he needed to find out how that kind of magic was even possible and as he had no dragon or Gaius to ask, he would have to do what he had become use to doing over the past few hundred years and that was to search a book for the answers he needed.

Hurrying down the road, peering through the dark as he went for the sight of his car. He needed to get to his house, to search his library. He needed his car, he needed his books. Struggling to find his car Merlin briefly considered lighting his way with magic before realising what a stupid idea it was. What if someone was to walk around the corner and see him? They would think themselves crazy, they would think him mad as of course to them magic didn't exist.

A crunch of gravel caused Merlin to turn around and he saw a plump middle aged man in a suit standing just metres away. The man's face became a look a glee when Merlin turned to meet his gaze. "So you must be Emrys" the man stated. Blinking bewilderedly Merlin didn't answer right away still in shock over the use of a name that he had not heard for a long, long time.

"I don't' know why but I thought you would have looked older" the man stated jovially. Merlin didn't speak he was still trying to process the situation after the red sky incident.

"Sorry how rude I am, I have not introduced myself. The name's Beaumont Tanner pleased to make you acquaintance" The man grinned as he threw out his hand for Merlin to shake. Glancing down at the suited man's large hand Merlin didn't move.

"Who are you?" he asked instead.

"I've just told you" the man said smiling his toothy smile. "Now don't be ill-mannered boy shake my hand, we are gentleman after all" the man insisted. Merlin hesitated for a moment before thinking what the hell as he reached out and shook the man's hand.

As their skin made contact a feeling of trepidation crossed Merlin's mind as this was probably a bad idea. Beaumont Tanner latched onto Merlin's hand so tightly that Merlin could not pull it back before he even had time to think of what to do. Tanner eyes had shifted colour as he growled out a spell in a gruff low voice.

Merlin felt like he had been plunged in a cold bucket of ice and his knees gave away. Crashing to the floor Merlin's eyes closed automatically and when they re-opened he could remember nothing of what had just happened. He could not remember why he was on the floor and he could not remember having ever processing even an ounce of magical ability. Getting to his feet he looked around and there was no one to be seen.

He stumbled backwards when he saw a bright flash of white light. The light receded as quickly as it had come but on the other side of the road now stood a group of people dressed strangely. They wore armour, red cloaks and had swords which were not the wooden kind. After a moment the group turned to face him and a big man called out to him "Merlin!"

But Merlin shook his head, how did this man know his name as he was sure he had never seen such odd people in his life. They must be some of Sofia friends, here for the Halloween fancy dress party. Yes that must be the explanation. Merlin didn't want to interact with any on these people they were probably all idiots like Jamey. The big man and his group began to walk towards him.

Merlin didn't want to speak to them so he turned on his heel and went back into the garden. Wrenching open the back door he pushed his way through the crowded kitchen. A few drunks asked him where his fancy dress costume was and the few who knew his name asked him why he hadn't come dressed as a wizard but he ignored them. He made his way up the three flights of stairs and stopped only to get past the couples who were lurking on the landings. Once inside his room he locked and bolted the door, wishing he could somehow also block out the noise from the party as well as its annoying people.

AN: Hi I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who's read, followed and favorited this story, it means a lot to me that some people find my story ideas readable. BTW in case anyone's wondering, the Merlin in my story looks young and not old as he's seen at the end of the last episode.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Party

Chapter Four – The Party

To say that tonight had not gone to plan would frankly be an understatement.

In fact Sofia felt that her carefully planned Halloween party had been a dire disaster.

Most of the friends from her university course hadn't turned up and all of Jamey and Dion's drunk friends from their sport societies had. A drunken argument over football had resulted in fight where her boyfriend Jamey had his nose broken.

And then Sofia had to listen to Jamey's slurred whining all the way to and from the hospital, right up until she left him in his room, nursing his sore face and blooming black eyes.

By the time they had arrived back, the party was over and everyone had cleared off. So yes Sofia felt she was defiantly going to remember this Halloween for all the wrong reasons.

Before heading to bed Sofia had paused on the landing as she could have sworn she heard voices coming from downstairs. Trotting down the stairs she came to the closed kitchen door where she then charged into kitchen highly annoyed. Why were people still here, the party was clearly over.

The messy kitchen held a fairly large group of people. Instead of the lounging assembly of drunks that she had expected there were in its place a group of very tall, good looking guys, dressed as medieval knights.

She recognised none of them and she could tell just by looking at their serious expressions that none of them were remotely intoxicated. Their conversation had come to an abrupt halt at the appearance of herself in her own kitchen. Sofia wanted to ask who they were but then decided against it, she didn't care she just wanted them gone.

"The party is over" she stated hoping they would get the hint. For a moment none of them said anything and then a blonde guy stepped forward, eye brows raised. He then surprised the hell out of her by his line of questioning.

"Do you know Merlin?" he asked.

Taken aback Sofia nodded her head, what did Merlin have to do with them seemingly not realising that the party was very much over and that they should be long gone.

"Fetch him" the man ordered. Sofia let out a laugh at the man's blatant attempt to get her to do something he could easily do himself. "Fetch him yourself, door on the right, top floor." And with that Sofia shook her head and left the room intending to go straight to bed before anymore drunks or nutters could completely ruin her Halloween.

AN:Hi, sorry for not uploading sooner, I've been super busy. I will try to upload the next chapter more quickly where a lot more will be happening in the story.


	5. Chapter 5 - A Missing Merlin

A Missing Merlin

Without realising it Arthur had taken a step towards where Merlin stood and away from where his wife and his friends were. He was about to call out to Merlin but before he got the chance he saw his friend stumble backwards and disappear into the dark shadows. "Arthur" Gwen murmured as she grabbed a hold of his arm, withdrawing his attention away from Merlin and back towards the others.

Gwen looked up into Arthur's eyes capturing his attention. She had so many questions, so many things to say but she just knew somehow that this wasn't the time.

"Arthur where are we? How is this possible?" Gaius asked as he stepped forwards towards his king. Shaking his head Arthur had no reply, he did not know himself, what could he say to them.

"What are we going to do?" Gwain asked from where he stood holding onto his sword. Arthur looked around considering the options for a moment before his gaze fell on the patch of shadows Merlin had disappeared into. Arthur looked back at Gwain and forced a quick smile as he stated his intent. "First we find Merlin" he said. As he turned and led the way he had seen Merlin go.

They crossed the small grassy patch of land and he overheard his knights muttered exclamation along the way that all basically meant "where are we? What is this place" as they took in the strange building that seemed to be houses, they were all rather symmetrical but still strange to the eyes of Arthur's group, who were used to something quite different from where they were from.

"What is that noise?" Gaius asked alarmed as they stepped into the shadowy part where Merlin had disappeared. They all looked rather confused by the increasingly blaring noise. "I think it is music" Leon said looking puzzled as he squinted up at the only building with light piercing out the widows amongst all the houses that were cast in darkness. "It doesn't sound like any kind of music that I have heard before" Gwen whispered.

The front door opened and a few drunks dressed in strange outfits spilled out of the door. Gwain looked at the house with the stumbling drunks and then smiled and looked to Arthur "well I think we know where Merlin is" he said grinning. Arthur shook his head he couldn't help the slightly bemused look from crossing over his face and he replied to Gwain. "Of course Merlin with be skiving drunks" he then led the way into the house.


End file.
